Bill Taylor, President, Taylor Shellfish US

06 September, 2012 - As the first day of the 10th International Seafood Summit in Hong Kong came to a close it was clear through the many discussions about sustainable seafood that the dialog has moved well beyond the basic question of “what is sustainability?”

The day started off with an opening ceremony with remarks from local dignitaries and a Traditional Lion Dance. For those of us in the room dealing with a dramatic time zone change the dance was a loud but welcome wakeup call and a nice introduction to the city’s culture.

The keynote by Stephen Hall, director general of the WorldFish Centre, raised several important topics that I haven’t heard broached at a venue such as this. One topic is the growth in demand for farmed product from Asia. The shift in demand will mean more product is needed for domestic consumption, which has implications for future trade policies and is an opportunity for producers, said Hall. A significant issue that needs to be addressed is demand AND the need for seafood consumption; studies have shown stunted growth in children under 5, as well as anemia in mothers. Increased fish consumption can greatly reduce such health-related problems, noted Hall.

He also noted that the seafood industry has failed to realize its schizophrenia, that there’s a difference between the fish demand and need. Fish farmers want to produce big fish, however consumer demand is largely for small fish. Hall also noted the polarities in the fish food system, such as between aquaculture and wild fisheries. Pangasius and tilapia production has had a profound impact on wild fisheries, but how much of an effect and what is the shift?

The seafood industry needs to start asking these questions, as Hall termed it, “joining the dots” and asking itself if the right seafood discussions are being held to get to the new horizons.

Meanwhile, a panel of retailers later in the day showed that there are very different approaches to developing a sustainable seafood program. For example, Loblaw Co. in Canada set a hard date for when it wanted to implement a sustainable seafood program, however Coles Supermarkets in Australia has not set a hard date for compliance with its program.

The day ended with the announcement of the Innovation Award to recognize companies and individuals who have the will to go forward and surpass trends. The winners are Verlasso, Dalian Zhangzido Fishery Group, Chef Nora Pouillon and the Google (Mt. View) Food Team. Congratulations to all of the winners of this new award!

 Welcome and thank you for joining us here today at the 10^th International Seafood Summit!  Thank you also to our distinguished guests from the Peoples Republic of China, the honorable Mr. Zhao Xingwu, Director of the Bureau of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Dr. Leung Siu-fai, Deputy Director, Aquaculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong.  Thanks also to our other panelists, speakers, and sponsors – especially China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, in the Ministry of Agriculture, fhi360, Global Fish Alliance, US AID, and WWF.

I have to also give special thanks to Kristian and the rest of the team of fearless, undaunted, industrious, untiring and plain old smart and dedicated SeaWeb staff and board members, as well as all of our incredible partners. You know who you are and we will never forget everything you have done to create the amazing program that we have planned for the next few days.

I also want to give a very special note of appreciation to each one of you, for being here and engaging in this important dialogue.

Your interest in sustainable seafood is what makes it possible for us to come together. Without your desire to collaborate across sectors or your willingness to seek out new solutions to the challenges facing the ocean – there would be no Seafood Summit and we would not be here today celebrating a decade of success and progress.

Each one of you has made some sacrifice to be here – personal, financial or professional – and for that I am indebted.  My hope is that you see the value of your investment in our shared objective to ensure a permanent and sustainable supply of seafood for future generations, and that, together, we can make sure that this valuable resource is delivered to consumers in a socially, economically and environmentally responsible manner.

Without your trust and your commitment, there would be no reason to provide this unique setting that enables global leaders from the key sectors of society – industry representatives, scientists, journalists and members of civil society –  to meet in a neutral environment to talk about seafood sustainability, to learn from each other, and to develop a common set of solutions.

Your acknowledgement of the important role that fisheries play in global economic health, the health of our environment, the health of our communities, and ultimately, human health, has created a movement for change.

Collectively, everyone in this room, as well as those who could not be here but joined us last year in Canada – or in France the year before – or the United States before that – have built, sustained, and are helping to grow the sustainable seafood movement.  This movement has deep roots and a rich history and so, as a member of this community for longer than I care to remember, I think it is important to recognize some of the cornerstones that have laid the foundation for the work we will do over the next few days, and how we have evolved to the critical tipping point where we find ourselves today.

The first significant action on sustainable seafood dates back to the early 1990’s, when tuna companies began marketing ‘dolphin-safe tuna’ in response to consumer demand and essentially created the first seafood labeling system.  A tremendous variety of other industry led voluntary initiatives have since been developed with a real focus of leadership coming from partnerships between a host of retail grocery store chains, food service providers and NGOs.  Eco-labeling and traceability are no longer new concepts but are becoming generally accepted business practices that the industry is working to adopt.

Eventually, governments began to realize the need to set some common standards for sustainability, which is why in 1995 the UN Food & Agriculture Organization released the ‘code of conduct for sustainable fisheries’ and in 1998 they held workshops and became more engaged in aquaculture and issues like sustainable shrimp production.  Then in 2005, the FAOs Committee on Fisheries adopted its first guidelines for marine fishery eco-labeling and released the first international guidelines to minimize by-catch and discards in fisheries last year.  Most recently, the European Commission issued a regulation against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing that came into force on January 1^st 2010.

Communication strategies have been an important part of this decade of success.  In the early days of the movement, we realized that the messages around the need for better management of fisheries were falling on deaf ears.  So, in 1996, SeaWeb conducted market research in the US, and later in Europe, to better understand consumer attitudes and perceptions around fish.  That research taught us that (in the mind of consumer) it was more effective to talk about fish in terms of the food on the plate, rather than as wildlife.  As a result, the community shifted messaging and our communications strategies changed from a focus on “fisheries management” to “sustainable seafood.”  A critical step in gaining the resonance needed to create change.

The evolution of the work around certification is also an important part of the equation.  Back in 1997, WWF & Unilever entered into an unique partnership that was aimed at addressing the long-term supply of seafood.  That work resulted in the development of the Marine Stewardship Council – the first independent, 3^rd party certification body for sustainable wild-caught fisheries.

Within just a few years, by 2000, the Western Australian rock lobster fishery received the first MSC certification.  By 2006, the giant retail outlet, Wal-Mart pledged to sell fresh and frozen wild-caught seafood from MSC certified fisheries – and the first seafood wholesaler in Japan was certified. Last year, was also a busy year for certification: the first Chinese fishery, Dalian Zhangzidao Fishery Group entered into MSC assessment for its scallop fishery and we have seen a growing interest across Asia in certification.  McDonald’s also introduced certified products on its menus — in its 7,000 restaurants across Europe and Sodexo committed to buy MSC certified fish in all of the 80 countries they operate from around the world.

Aquaculture production has also been growing dramatically since 1970, with approximately half of the world’s edible seafood produced by aquaculture.  And so, a tremendous amount of work has been done to establish common guidelines and standards for sustainability — from the development of the Aquaculture Dialogues in 2006 to the establishment of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council that was formed in 2009 with the goal of managing global standards for responsible aquaculture.

NGO led, species-specific campaigns, have also played a key role in empowering consumers and engaging the media in the seafood debate.

In 1998, the first large-scale effort to mobilize consumers on fishery conservation – now dubbed “sustainable seafood” – was developed and it also marked the 1^st time chefs became engaged as leading spokespersons in the seafood debate.  They changed the course of the dialogue on species like swordfish, Chilean sea bass (Patagonian tooth fish) and caviar.  And, now the North Atlantic wwordfish is classified as “fully recovered” and 10 days ago, it entered the process for MSC certification.

New species-specific initiatives are also underway from campaigns on grouper in Fiji — to shark fin in Asia.  And, on that front, major commitments to stop serving shark fin have been made by companies like the Peninsula Hotels and Shangri-la, where we are today, — and, just yesterday Cathay Pacific and its subsidiary Dragon Air made an amazing commitment to ban shark fin from its all cargo flights.

Last, but certainly, not least, was the birth of the first seafood consumer seafood guide in 1998.  Today, these seafood guides, also available as smart phone apps, and have played an incredibly important role in the development of the sustainable seafood movement!  Literally tens of millions of these guides are marketed and distributed by hundreds of organizations including aquariums, most notably the Monterey Bay Aquarium, as well as other NGOs and seafood businesses around the world.

This increased level of collaboration, consumer engagement, sense of empowerment aimed at influencing the market – all served to catalyze the sustainable seafood movement – and are responsible for the successes of the past decade.

Now, this is where the history of the Seafood Summit – your gathering place – comes into play.  In 2002, the 1^st Seafood Summit occurred as a meeting of ~20 environmental NGOs from the U.S. – quite a change from last year’s Summit held in Vancouver, B.C. where we attracted more than 700 delegates and industry participation outpaced NGOs for the first time, with nearly 40% of the delegates.

Another benchmark in the history of the movement occurred in 2008 when the International Seafood Summit was held in Barcelona, Spain.  It was the first conference of its kind held in southern Europe – and the first time that the percentage of attendees from outside the U.S. exceeded the percentage from within – hailing from 34 different countries, including six African countries, six Asian countries, and three countries in Latin America.

This was also the first time that the science of sustainable fisheries was highlighted and factored into the conversations, with a keynote address given by distinguished biologist and oceanographer Callum Roberts. The Barcelona Summit solidified the global nature of the movement and inclusion of a wide variety of stakeholders.

That takes us to this room, where the Seafood Summit is celebrating its 10^th Anniversary in Hong Kong – and the reception has been phenomenal.  Although it is the first time we have hosted a Summit in this region, registrations are ‘sold-out’ and we have delegates representing 46 countries.  That is truly amazing – and well beyond any of our expectations!  I think most observers of the sustainable seafood movement would agree that this is truly a watershed moment for the future of seafood.

Finally, the Seafood Champions Award program was launched in 2006 to provide public acknowledgement and recognize individuals and companies for their outstanding leadership in promoting environmentally responsible seafood. There are currently 33 leaders who hold that distinguished title and I’m looking forward to expanding that group of alumni, as we honor the 2012 class of seafood champions later this morning!

At this Summit, our priority is to engage and learn from our colleagues in Asia, where fisheries and aquaculture have a long and deep history and cultural significance – and, where seafood, as Asia’s top export and import product, is vital to the economy. We know too, that Asian countries have been refining and perfecting fish farming techniques for thousands of years, so there are critical learnings that will take place during these next few days and beyond.

I want to mention, too, that Hong Kong was the logical city to host the Summit, given its role as the gateway for international trade in seafood. Furthermore, the level of seafood consumption per capita in the city of Hong Kong ranks 11th among 100 countries worldwide and thus it imports a considerable amount of seafood to meet this demand.

The theme of this year’s Summit - ”Evolving Solutions for New Horizons” - was chosen to reflect the new dawn of sustainable seafood in Asia recognizing and rewarding progress but also putting forth a challenge to be forward thinking and innovative in our quest for solutions — in the new horizons that confront us.

History has shown that each Summit catalyzes the sustainable seafood debate, and engenders wider and more diverse support from across the seafood supply chain – all aimed at eventually mainstreaming the principles of sustainability from across and within the sector.  We have every reason to expect that the same type of momentum, and more, will be built in Asia following this Summit — especially given how warmly it has been received by our Asian partners.

This progress is not to minimize the huge challenges we face.  Our work together wont be easy.  Now, more now then ever before, the Summit and the sustainable seafood movement are set against a landscape of a changing world order—across global and regional politics, changing markets, rapid environmental change, and global economic turmoil. What we consider over the next few days, will have direct bearing on what we will face on the road ahead and how, collectively, we will meet those challenges in Asia and beyond.

The open dialogue that you will experience today doesn’t end when the Summit concludes, in reality that is where it begins.  We must continue to engage seafood stakeholders year round to ensure that the message, the agreements, the progress – moves forward as preparation for our next gathering.

The Summit is where trust is developed among peers, and collaborations are secured.  So, while the dialogue is important, it’s the commitments to work together on specific projects that have been the hallmark of the Summit. I hope you will continue that tradition and seek out partners here today who can help you develop the solutions necessary to advance your missions.

While the ocean is vast, it is still very sensitive to our footprint. Fish play a critical role in keeping the ocean healthy, and keeping the marine food web in tact. When any small piece of this system is disrupted, it impacts the whole. Our work therefore is imperative to restoring the natural balance of the almost ¾’s of the earth, that we call ocean, to help it continue to sustain all life on this planet.  Ensuring we have seafood for the future and a healthy, thriving ocean environment is an important goal for both the conservation and business communities.  After all, the ocean is 71% of our planet, but it is 100% our responsibility.

I want to close with a proverb from the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”

this saying is one we very much subscribe to and we recognize that the journey may be difficult but we have to start somewhere and we must bring others with us along the way.  This meeting is critical for expanding understanding and for galvanizing broader support for the issues, I hope you will join with us.

I very much look forward to learning how you will use this gathering to change the course of our history.  Future generations are depending upon us to make smart decisions, so, let’s not disappoint them.  Thank you for your time and interest in being here!

And, now I am very pleased to be able to get off the stage, so that we can enjoy a wonderful a performance of a traditional Lion Dance.  We are very grateful to the Hong Kong Tourism Board for arranging this for us this morning.    Thank you!

The annual Seafood Champion Awards celebrate leaders in the seafood community who have made significant strides in improving practices and awareness of sustainable seafood.

This year’s winners represent leaders working on a variety of pressing seafood and ocean related issues including illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, anti-shark finning, community managed fisheries, traceability, fisheries improvement projects and more.

The 2012 Seafood Champion Awards marks an important milestone for the awards program. SeaWeb is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Seafood Summit and is hosting the Summit in Asia for the first time.

The winners of the 2012 Seafood Champion Awards are:

• Austral Fisheries Osborne Park, Australia
• Bahamas Marine Exporters Association Nassau, Bahamas
• Blue Ventures Toliara, Madagascar
• Francois Pasteau, Chef/Owner, L’Epi Dupin Paris, France
• Jimmy Martinez Ortiz, Sub Secretariat of Fisheries Manabi Province, Ecuador
• Taylor Shellfish Farms Shelton, Washington, United States of America
• Thomas Kraft, CEO, Norpac Fisheries Export Seattle, Washington, United States of America
• Victor Hamusa Kargbo, Head of Fisheries Enforcement for the Government of Sierra Leone Freetown, Sierra Leone
• Yao Ming, WildAid Ambassador Beijing, China

“This year’s Seafood Champion Award winners represent a truly diverse and international group of leaders signaling the tremendous growth in the sustainable seafood movement over the past few years,” said Dawn M. Martin, President of SeaWeb. “Each one of these Champions has a unique and important story to tell of how they came to embracing sustainability as an essential component of their strategy and business plans.”

Austral Fisheries has made deliberate decisions to ensure that all aspects of its fishing and trading operations are as environmentally sustainable as possible, ensuring a secure future for its company, employees, customers and fisheries. Austral Fisheries remain at the forefront of cooperative and collaborative management of fisheries resources in its activities with conservation groups, industry, governments, international agencies and many others.

The Bahamas Marine Exporters Association (BMEA) is a group of local processors and exporters that provide support for the Bahamian lobster fishery improvement projects. Their efforts to encourage effective management and sustainability of the country’s marine resources have benefitted and secured a productive future for Bahamians.

Blue Ventures is an award-winning social enterprise that works with local communities to conserve threatened marine and coastal environments, both protecting biodiversity and alleviating poverty. Over the past decade, Blue Ventures’ marine conservation work in Madagascar has focused on establishing temporary closures for fisheries to increase the sustainability of landings of highly valued, internationally traded species.

François Pausteau is a Parisian chef and restaurateur of L’Epi Dupin. Established in 1995, his restaurant is today a beacon for sustainable fish, strongly featured in its daily changing menus. François is one of the first French chefs to be conscious of marine resource conservation, believing that chefs act as ambassadors of sustainability.

Jimmy Martinez Ortiz is a strong advocate for fisheries management decisions based on sound and robust scientific advice in his native Ecuador. His work to implement an integrated monitoring system is an example of this vision. Jimmy believes we must shift from short-term fisheries management to management based on the best available science in order to improve the income of fishermen and maintain fishing jobs in a sustainable manner.

Taylor Shellfish Farms has been in business for over a hundred years and has led industry efforts towards environmental, social and economic sustainability in shellfish farming focusing on three areas: certification, political advocacy for clean water, and environmental education & community engagement.

Tom Kraft of Norpac Fisheries Expo founded the Hawaii Swordfish Fishery in 1988, and has since worked tirelessly to improve practices in the swordfish and tuna fisheries worldwide. He has worked alongside NGOs in Asia to promote the adoption of gear modifications to advance ecologically responsible fishing and avoid non-targeted species.

Victor Hamusa Kargbo has been at the forefront of reducing and stopping illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Sierra Leone. Victor’s bravery and determination led to the arrest of two large-scale fishing vessel operators that export to the EU who were fined more than US $300,000 for their crimes. He is passionate about marine conservation and a staunch advocate for sustainable fisheries in the West Africa region and beyond.

Yao Ming is a former US National Basketball Association star turned conservationist and an Ambassador for WildAid’s global shark campaign which educates consumers through mass media campaigns reaching up to 1 billion people every week in China. Yao encourages decision makers from all levels of Chinese society to “Say No” to shark fin soup and to actively participate in shark conservation.

SeaWeb’s Seafood Choices program established the award in 2006 to honor those in the seafood industry whose past or present contributions demonstrate a change in practices that help to ensure a permanent and sustainable supply of seafood for future generations, and that that this valuable resource is delivered to consumers in a socially, economically and environmentally responsible manner.

Nominated by the seafood community and judged by a panel that includes previous winners, the awards have been bestowed upon individuals, companies and organizations from the fishing, aquaculture, seafood supply and distribution, retail, media, restaurant and foodservice sectors.

Winners of this award have a proven influence over the marketplace with regard to the sourcing of ocean-friendly seafood.

“Seafood Champions represent leaders in the seafood community who are going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure a sustainable future for fisheries,” said Martin. “These Champions demonstrate true dedication and are evidence that sustainability is not only possible, it is inevitable because once people begin to understand what is at stake, there is no going back.”